1. MnIndy interview: Unrepentant science-heathen PZ Myers still intends to prove 'this cracker is nothing'

Comment #211204 by amalthea on July 15, 2008 at 3:12 pm

The cracker/wafer is a symbol of faith. As I remember it (from being brought up catholic, hence now an atheist) if you believe, then it IS the body and soul of Christ, if not, meh, you got a free cracker/wafer.

The over-reaction is indeed just hate-mongering, as any (reasonably)rational priest will tell you. The inclusion in this argument of things like blood-libels and general anti-semitism shows these people for what they are, plain old bigots. No women bishops, cover your head woman, give me your money........etc. Always the same old snake-oil BS.

Respect? I have respect for those who practice their own religion and keep it to themselves. Those who try to impose their own twisted morality on the rest of us? F*ckt*rds!!!

A

2. Lourdes fears priestly scandal will make profits dry up

Comment #209983 by amalthea on July 13, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Quick question, remind me again, which organisation is the single largest landowner ON THE PLANET?

yep, Irony definitely intended.

A

3. Host Desecration is Old Anti-Semitic Nonsense

Comment #209979 by amalthea on July 13, 2008 at 5:01 pm

Deep, deep deep down, I really agree that the whole thing is nonsense. A cracker is a cracker.

But then again, I do see the point of conferred value, where a number of paople agree that a simple object, whatever it is, has some particular value for them, but maybe none to anyone else. It may be artists conferring a value on a work of art, vintners upon a bottle of wine, Bob Dylan fans with bootleg tapes etc........

then I remember what complete idiots these people are, they would confer value on a piece of waffle mix if it looked remotely like.... oh, wait, that happened already.

On balance, my decision is screw 'em, especially if they're going to bring up 'host desecration' and by extension 'blood libels'.

Can i call them fucktards now?

A

4. Churches' secret talks to stop gay surge

Comment #209164 by amalthea on July 11, 2008 at 5:12 pm

Paula, spot on. Does anyone really, I mean REALLY care if women are ordained as bishops? Not in the UK certainly. It's probably a few Daily Mail readers who don't realise that the whole thing is about to go south and they're left witha a few crumbling ruins (churches, apologies for that).

The one thing that puzzles me is why any woman would want to play a larger part in an organisation that has systematically demeaned, slandered and tortured women so consistently for so long. Maybe it's the dresses? But then again, they're so unflattering. Are they mental?

A

5. McDonald's Makes Jesus Cry

Comment #209161 by amalthea on July 11, 2008 at 4:57 pm

Guys and Gals, I personally think all the top grade irony and sarcasm would be lost on these folks. I hesitate, but not for long, to call them morons, but they really are.

SAND? WTF? Are there drugs we haven't discovered yet? Perhaps the xians have them all to feed their kids to indoctrinate them....

This is one of the weirdest stories yet. Nearly as folks praying at the petrol/gas pumps for the price to go down. 20 watt people. Definitely not very bright.

6. Religious bigotry upheld in court

Comment #209123 by amalthea on July 11, 2008 at 3:40 pm

I read this story on the BBC website and REALLY thought it was a joke.

C'mon, it's your job, just as to defend the guilty or inncocent ALIKE is the job of a defense attourney. Or prosecute, if you're a prosecutor. It's not your job to decide who you want to represent, it's your job to do your job. Your personal opinions don't even enter the equation. Of course, we don't even have a written constitution in the UK, but the principle is surely the same. In a civilised country, this woman would be in jail for bigotry.

A

7. PLEASE WRITE IN SUPPORT OF PZ MYERS

Comment #209112 by amalthea on July 11, 2008 at 3:24 pm

Can't see my comment here, so just a reminder, Done and Done.

Keep up the good work PZ!

8. Thousands Flock to Revival in Search of Miracles

Comment #209056 by amalthea on July 11, 2008 at 2:32 pm

In the UK now, they (people like this guy) can be prosecuted for declaring "false promises" and I'd like to think it will be extended to churches/mosques/synagogoes. No time soon I think, we're too scared of upsetting people.

A

Anyone for snakeoil, is that trademarked btw?

9. An Irishman's Diary

Comment #209026 by amalthea on July 11, 2008 at 2:09 pm

Don't usually comment much, but this seems like a huge 'pedant alert'. Dealing with issues, or perhaps, oh, I don't know, SOLVING issues would be better than addressing them.

Can't beat the logic, so instead, I'll take the mick (or in the UK : piss) out of the language used.

Good Chaucer comment, language does evolve, as does everything. Shame to see some people watch it happen in front of their eyes (and ears) and still deny it happens.

So, that's the best that the opposition can do? Great, it means they're too stoopid (intentional) to realise that everything evolved, and sometime soon, they, and their line will be de-selected from the gene pool.

My 2p

A

10. Ben Stein 1, Yoko Ono 0 in 'Expelled' copyright spat

Comment #188715 by amalthea on June 4, 2008 at 12:09 pm

I just think that the Lennon family and yoko One must be really pissed off that a song about peace, non-religion, and non-ideology has be co-opted be people who are out to use religion as a way to strip the general public of their money.

I think I have a solution. If all scientists and free-thinkers subscribe to the Cult of the FSM and become Pastafarians, we'll be recognised as a religion, become tax-exempt AND get the right to fight this as 'incitement to racial hatred' as there seems no dividing line between believers in a particular cult/religion/gameshow and the races of people involved in said organisation.

Of course, I won't expect I'd have to renounce my original calling as a Jedi :)

11. Random Acts of Evolution

Comment #188260 by amalthea on June 3, 2008 at 2:09 pm

I have to agree with kleb on the last comment, bad design does show the IDiots up a little.

As for the whole concept of junk DNA, I think it's probably to show that he human genome is essentially bureaucratic, lots of form and no actual content :)

But seriously, I was hoping that at least some of that 'junk' DNA coded for something interesting that we hadn't elucidated yet. Maybe a propensity towards intelligence or something.......... then I saw the ID description of the banana. Nah.

12. When two worlds collide: threat of class warfare over faith-based schooling

Comment #188239 by amalthea on June 3, 2008 at 12:00 pm

I really abhor the education/indoctrination process we foist upon our children (in general, not you guys/girls, obviously) It's obviously unfair to teach kids all the fairy stories, then tell them only the one about God/Allah/Whatever was true. Then send them out into the world and expect them to behave like reasonable human beings. I was raised Catholic, so the disparity between observable fact and dogma was obvious, and my father was a great champion of reason (at least for me) My personal conviction is that church, state AND school should be seperate.

Like France yes, but with a bit more thought, the French are having a difficult time at the moment because they proposed equality, without expressing any interest in their immigrant communities at all. They STILL have no idea about the religious and cultural make-up of their own country. In the UK, there are questionnaires when you go to a library, asking your ethnic background. This is seen as an invasion of privacy by the french people who live here, they're not used to it, but it's so they can provide books in your language, if you want them. France pushed equality to its limit, now they have no idea who they have in their own country.

For me, the main idea to push against the 'god-botherer's' (they don't deserve capitals) is the idea that you only get one life. That's it. Maybe then we'd all realise that killing people just for a political or financial, sometimes both, motive is DUMB (deserves capitals,I think.

The only way to accomplish that is through education. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that no-one ever came back and said 'Oooohh, heaven is lovely!' It never happens.

Faith = Gullible.

Oh, and yes: A Fuck-tard is an apt description of STEPHEN O'DOHERTY. We'd recognise his catholic roots in an instant in the UK and the US. Blatant apologist, I suspect his mother is still alive and he doesn't want to offend her. It's even possible he still lives with her. Any bios out there so we can check and hit him with Ad Hominem?

:)

13. Senate bill allows display of Lord's Prayer, 10 Commandments

Comment #186580 by amalthea on May 30, 2008 at 5:36 pm

I may be wrong here, I hope I'm not, but the definition of an 'historical document' is that said document exists. Not that someone thinks it does, or wants it to exist. Tha Magna Carta is still in existence, the Declaration of Independence exists, even the Rosetta Stone exists. Show me the original. Only then can it be claimed to be an 'historical document'.

If the Vatican has the original, let's see it. Or maybe it would turn out to be another Turin Shroud debacle :)

B

14. Trouble ahead for science

Comment #177101 by amalthea on May 8, 2008 at 2:54 pm

Stein should be prosecuted for stupidity. I can't even find the words to describe someone who takes a heinous period in world history and uses it to further his own misguided ends. If he was a member of any other faith he'd be in jail for holocaust denial or something similar. The history is wrong, his conclusions are wrong, he's just plain wrong. I'm furious, but feel so impotent against this BS. If the majority of the human race is like this, I think we're better off leacing the planet to the cockroaches and fungi. Although I hope it doesn't come to that, of course.

B

15. Citing Faith, Bush Defends War Actions

Comment #177094 by amalthea on May 8, 2008 at 2:34 pm

Hmmm... I have an idea that World Leaders should be subject to the same constraints as anyone else applying for a high powered position. Psychometric testing to see if a) you're up to the job, and b) are you completely and utterly sane. I don't say this to have a go at Dubbya per se, I'm a Brit, and as such am horrified by such as Mugabe (who is so obviously insane) and there is nothing anyone can do. How many millions of people have to die because of special interest groups funding genocide for the sake of oil, minerals, land, basically short term gains?

Time for a UN sanity commission.

I'm REALLY not having a go at Dubbya, when our Tony Blair (proposed left-wing candidate) mentioned that he prayed for guidance, I knew we were screwed in the UK.

B

16. Faith in Britain today

Comment #177084 by amalthea on May 8, 2008 at 2:22 pm

It seems that the whole justification for a Sky-Dad is that 'he' is unknowable and unfathomable. God moves in mystrious ways etc. That's it right there. How can you argue with self-imposed ignorance? Any faith that sees it's bible as infallible is going to be hard to convince when it comes to reality. Thank goodness the 'gullibility gene' seems to be increasingly de-selected worldwide. Hopefully, religious belief will soon be treated in the same clinics as schizophrenics and people with other psychological disorders.

Brent